A Little about us ....

We are Steve & Kathy Lane.

During our marriage, we have been owned by many dogs including Saint Bernards, Great Danes & Bullmastiffs. For a few years now, we have had several Pugs, A Bulldog, A Basset Hound & A chinese Crested Powderpuff join us. Although we have learned alot on our journey, we believe that no one person can know all there is to know about the breed(s). There is so much to learn, especially with the health problems that our breed suffers & new research for these problems being found.

Our journey with the love of Saints began in 2001, when Steve bought Kathy her very first St Bernard, Bella. She stole their hearts the minute she met them. Little did they know what was to blossom from that bond of Love.

We enjoy having our dogs around us & if they are able to be shown then that is a bonus! Not every puppy has blossomed into a 'show dog'. We are not a 'kennel' or a business. Our dogs are not in any way for financial gain! They are our pets first & foremost, they are for our companionship, love of the breed, & to enjoy our hobby of showing. Most of our dogs live in the house with us . Infact - its more their home than ours!! We do not breed from or show all of our dogs. We health test all our dogs. We have bought or rescued dogs that have health problems who are then neutered to prevent these problems being passed on.

If you are looking to show your Saint, please have a look at our pages that have show terminology that will hopefully help you on your journey to what can be a great hobby.

CONTRARY TO THE BREED NAME.... SAINTS THEY A'INT!!

Kathy is approved by the Kennel Club to judge St Bernards at Championship shows with CC's & also Bullmastiffs & Great Danes at Open Show level which includes CH Shows without CC's & she is currently listed on many of the breed clubs judging lists. Kathy has also passed Breed Judging Symposiums for these 3 breeds & have attended several St Bernard, Bullmastiff & Great Dane Breed seminars which she took several years ago, to get a better understanding of the breed.

In 2002 we applied to the Kennel Club for our own 'Kennel Name' & 'LANEBERN' was born. We campaign our dogs both in the UK & Ireland. We have a wonderful 'team' of dogs & we are VERY PROUD of all their wins, and list them whether they come 1st or last. I hope you enjoy looking at their pages.

'Lanebern' were a Kennel Club ASSURED BREEDER since 2004 - however more recently we have opted out of this scheme as we do not feel that it honours breeders that go above & beyond for their pups & their owners & until this changes, we will continue to do what we have always done when health testing our dogs & rearing our puppies with lashings of love & doing our best to give them a healthy start in life.

Many of our dogs live in our home. They are ALL our Pets & companions more than anything else. They are raised with all the usual noises such as, people visiting, telephones, hoovers, all modern appliances etc, which helps when it comes to settling puppies into their new homes. They are also brought up with smaller dogs and taught that they are not 'toys' & must be respected!

Socialising & manners are also very important, (not just to the breed but to us too as a large unruly dog is not a pleasure but a pain!!) and again we encourage people to visit us & we also like to take puppies on various trips around different towns/markets from a young age, not to mention very important 'social' trips to the vets to allow the dogs to become well socialised 'Good citizens'.

To protect our Breed & our puppies, ALL our puppy registrations will be Endorsed. This means that there will be certain restrictions when it comes to any expectations you may have when thinking about breeding from your dog. We are very cautious when allowing Export of our dogs to other countries, & there may be certain circumstances or occasions that we will not allow Export, however, please contact us to discuss your individual requirements regarding Export out of the UK.

We cannot guarantee the 'show potential' of any puppy regardless of what Champions are in his/her parentage. The lovely 8 week old puppy oozing showmanship may not 'make the grade' when he/she is 5months old. Just because a puppy has Champion parents does not mean that he/she will become one too & always take care when choosing your puppy.

All puppies sold from us are sold as pets. Saint puppies change very quickly and what might seem a promising 8 week old, may never come to anything at all in the show ring, although we can all dream of breeding/owning a Champion one day!

Unfortunately, Saint Bernards are not without their health problems & potential owners should be aware of them. Hip Dysplasia, Ectropian and Entropian (Turning in & turning out of the eye lids) Epilepsy, Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM - Heart Condition) and Gastric torsion (bloat) are the more known, talked about conditions.

Health testing is important too, but again, just because the parents have been tested or have hipscores, this does NOT guarantee that any puppy will be free from these ailments. It is possible, that a puppy born from low scored parents, can go on to have hip problems, and also equally just as likely that a high scoring parent can produce low scored offspring. How the puppy is raised when you take it home, is just as important, if not more so, than when he or she was here with us. Listen to your breeder, they have the experience & the knowledge to help raise your puppy.

There are several Breed Clubs in the UK, that can all offer advice on the Breed. Some of these people have had great success in the ring & have substantial breed knowledge. You would be wise to checkout a show or two before purchasing a puppy of this breed, just to understand what is involved IF you are looking to show your puppy & also gain some knowledge as to just how big these cute puppies can get as adolescents & adults!

Please take GREAT care before making your decision to buy a Saint Bernard, the little cute puppy will grow at an amazing speed, eat alot more than the average size dog, as well as make twice the amount of mess! It's not fair on them or you if you suddenly find yourself with a dog thats too big for the house, your food budget & your life!

The details of the various Saint Bernard Clubs & Rescue Societies around the UK can be found on the Breed Clubs page above. We would be happy to answer any questions you may have regarding problems you may be experiencing or general enquiries.